6 Tourist Scams in Sarajevo

You arrive at Sarajevo Airport and take the first taxi in the queue. The driver doesn't turn on the meter, claiming it's 'a fixed price from the airport.' He quotes 30 KM (Bosnian Convertible Marks) for the trip to Baščaršija — roughly double the metered fare. You hand over a 50 KM note. He gives you change: what appears to be a 20 KM note. The next day at a cafe, the cashier rejects your note — it's actually a 20 Serbian Dinar bill, worth roughly 0.17 euros. The colors and size are just similar enough to fool you in a dark taxi at night. This specific scam — combining overcharging with counterfeit change using Serbian Dinar notes — is documented on TripAdvisor's Sarajevo forum in multiple threads. One thread titled 'Taxi Scam in Sarajevo' describes the exact scenario of receiving Serbian Dinar instead of Bosnian Marks. Another thread titled 'WARNING: Sarajevo Taxi Co. at Sarajevo International Airport' has years of accumulated complaints about airport taxis refusing to use meters. Travelers report fares of 20-30 euros for a trip that should cost 10-12 KM on the meter. The solution recommended by multiple posters is to call a city-based taxi company like Red Taxi (Crveni Taxi), which has a stand near the airport and uses meters as standard practice. The metered fare from Sarajevo Airport to Baščaršija should be approximately 12-15 KM.

You're walking through Sarajevo's center in the evening when two well-dressed, friendly people approach. They speak good English, ask where you're from, and after some pleasant conversation, suggest going to a bar they know for 'the best Bosnian beer.' The bar looks normal enough. You sit down, a few rounds are ordered, and the conversation flows. When the bill comes, it's 200 KM or more for what seemed like four or five drinks. The 'friends' have already paid their separate bill and slipped away, or they claim they're short on cash. Bar staff become hostile if you challenge the bill, and a large doorman escorts you to an ATM to withdraw cash if you refuse to pay. This bar scam pattern is documented by Wiki For Travel's Sarajevo guide, World Nomads' Bosnia safety guide, and on Quora threads about Sarajevo scams. The scam relies on a partnership between the 'friendly locals' (who earn commission) and the bar (which charges 5-10 times normal prices). The drinks you're served may be watered down or smaller than standard. The escalation to physical intimidation via a bouncer escorting you to an ATM is the most alarming part. The defense is to always choose your own bar rather than following strangers' suggestions, check menu prices before ordering, and keep track of what you're consuming. Sarajevo's legitimate bar scene is excellent and affordable — a beer typically costs 3-5 KM at honest establishments.

You wander into Baščaršija, Sarajevo's beautiful Ottoman-era bazaar, and admire the hand-hammered copper coffee sets (dzevas), ornate plates, and bullet-casing art that the coppersmiths are famous for. A shop owner invites you in and demonstrates the craft. You fall in love with a traditional Bosnian coffee set and ask the price: 120 KM. At the shop two doors down, an identical set costs 45 KM. The quality difference is minimal — the price difference is entirely about which shops primarily serve tourists versus locals. While not a 'scam' in the aggressive sense, the price differential in Baščaršija is significant and documented on TripAdvisor and travel blogs. The area around the Sebilj fountain (the wooden Ottoman fountain at the center of the square) has the highest tourist markup. As you walk deeper into the side streets of the bazaar, prices drop substantially for identical goods. Bosnian Voyager's guide to Baščaršija notes that cash is king and that keeping small bills for quick purchases helps avoid the 'no change' problem where vendors round up. The genuine artisan tradition in Baščaršija is worth supporting — just compare prices at 3-4 shops before buying, walk the full length of Kazandziluk street, and don't buy from the first shop you enter.

You finish a pleasant dinner at a restaurant near the Latin Bridge and ask for the bill. It arrives showing 75, but no currency symbol. You assume it's 75 KM (about 38 euros). You pay with a 100 KM note and receive 25 KM change. Later, you realize the bill was actually in euros — 75 euros, nearly double the KM amount. The restaurant accepted your KM payment at a terrible exchange rate, effectively pocketing the difference. Bosnia uses the Convertible Mark (KM/BAM), which is pegged to the euro at 1.95583 KM per euro. Many tourist restaurants list prices in euros or display dual pricing, which creates confusion. The currency guide from ManorFX warns that airports and hotels offer poor exchange rates, and Wiki For Travel's Sarajevo guide notes that some restaurants exploit the KM/euro confusion to overcharge tourists who don't realize which currency the bill is in. The fixed peg means the conversion is simple (roughly 2 KM = 1 euro), but you should always confirm which currency is being used before ordering. Restaurants legally must display prices in KM, and any establishment that quotes only in euros is targeting tourists.

You book a Sarajevo war tour from a street flyer near Baščaršija. The guide meets you and launches into a deeply emotional personal account of surviving the siege. Over three hours, you visit the Tunnel Museum, Sniper Alley, and shelled buildings. The stories are moving and the guide seems to have lived through the 1992-1996 siege. At the end, there's no fixed price — instead, the guide asks you to 'pay what you feel the experience was worth.' After three hours of emotional intensity, most people pay 100-200 KM. Later, you learn from your hotel that reputable war tours cost 30-50 KM per person and that your 'survivor' guide was actually born after the war ended. This is documented on TripAdvisor and in the TravelSafe guide for Sarajevo. The scam exploits the genuine tragedy of the Sarajevo siege to create emotional pressure for excessive tipping. While many legitimate tour operators run excellent and fairly-priced war tours (Sarajevo War Tour, Funky Tours, and Insider are well-reviewed), unlicensed operators work the tourist areas offering unofficial tours with the 'pay what you feel' model designed to extract maximum payment through guilt. The legitimate tours of Sarajevo's war history are among the most powerful experiences in European tourism. Book through established operators with fixed prices and verified reviews.

You're photographing the Sebilj fountain when a woman holding an infant approaches, holding out a cup and pleading for money. While your attention is focused on her — and your hands are busy with your camera or phone — a second person slips a hand into your jacket pocket or bag from behind. In another variation, a group of children surrounds you, hands extended and voices overlapping, creating a wall of distraction while one child's hands go through your pockets. A TripAdvisor thread titled 'Begging on the streets, real or tourist scam?' in the Sarajevo forum discusses this phenomenon. World Nomads' Bosnia safety guide warns that 'small thefts like pickpocketing are most common in busy places and on public transportation,' with Baščaršija and tram lines cited as the primary risk areas. The TravelSafe rating for Sarajevo notes that organized begging operations target tourists in the Old Town, with pickpocketing happening during the distraction. Sarajevo is overall one of Europe's safer capital cities, and violent crime against tourists is extremely rare. The risk is almost entirely limited to opportunistic pickpocketing in crowded tourist areas.